Sparrows are birds that many people like being able to observe in their yards. You might be interested in seeing more local sparrows.
It’s possible to attract sparrows to your yard using various methods. You can place a birdhouse on your property in the hopes that sparrows will come to occupy it.
Is there a specific way that you can attract sparrows to the birdhouse, though? Or will you just have to hope?
Read on to learn about specific actions that you can take to attract sparrows to your property. This should help you to get the results that you’re hoping for.
1 – Place Food for the Sparrows
One of the most obvious ways that you can attract sparrows to your yard involves placing food at specific points in the yard. If you wish for sparrows to occupy the birdhouse that you’ve installed, then you’ll want to keep food nearby.
To start, it’s going to be best to do a bit of research about the types of sparrows that you can find in your area. Depending on the types of sparrows that you want to attract, you might need to buy specific types of seed.
The majority of sparrows will enjoy eating black oil sunflower seeds. Some sparrows might prefer something such as thistle seed.
Doing a bit of research allows you to pick the appropriate seed type. It’ll make it that much more likely that you’ll see sparrows in your yard soon.
You should also know that buying high-quality seed is the right way to go. Less expensive seed will usually be of a lower quality, and the birds might not like it as much.
Another idea is to plant more seed-bearing flowers in your yards. This will act as a natural food source for the sparrows.
Some choose to plant specific grass types that sparrows feed on as well. Berry bushes are also well-known sources of food for sparrows.
2 – It Might Be Beneficial to Have Multiple Feeding Locations
It might be beneficial to have multiple feeding locations too. Sometimes sparrows will come in larger flocks, and this means that the seed that you’re putting out in one location will go fast.
Instead of only having one feeding spot, it might be better to spread feeding locations around. Have several feeding spots around the yard that the sparrows can visit.
It just makes it even more likely that you’ll see sparrows pop up in the yard frequently. Some of them might choose to nest in the birdhouses that you install as well.
If you have a larger property, then it might make sense to put multiple birdhouses up. You can have many feeding locations and several birdhouses.
Of course, you don’t have to go this route if you don’t want to. It’s just a good suggestion that might make your yard even more of a safe haven for sparrows.
3 – Sparrows Need Water Sources
As you might expect, sparrows are also going to need water to be able to thrive. If you have a water source on the property, then you’ll be more likely to attract sparrows to your yard.
One thing to keep in mind is that sparrows like to fly a bit lower than some birds. This means that installing elevated water sources won’t be the right way to go.
If you want to get the best results, then you should install a bird bath that’s low enough to the ground. Most standard ground bird baths will be perfectly acceptable for this job.
You can buy a bird bath that is ready to be installed or you can choose to make your own. Either way, it’s going to be a good idea to include some type of dripper or another source of moving water.
This will help to get the attention of the local sparrows. Finding a good spot for the bird bath is also something that you should try to do.
A good spot for a bird bath will be near some type of cover. For instance, you could install the bird bath next to a low shrub that will help the sparrows to feel safer while they’re using it.
The birds will really appreciate this, and they’ll also appreciate it if you install some type of bird bath heater. This will keep the water from getting too cold or freezing when the temperatures start to dip.
4 – Shelter Spots
Shelter spots near the birdhouse will make a difference in your efforts to attract sparrows. There are many things that will make sparrows feel nervous, and they might not come near the birdhouse if it’s too out in the open.
It’s going to be a good idea to have many spots that can act as shelter in your yard. Specifically, you want the place where you installed the birdhouse to be very safe and appealing.
Consider installing thick shrubbery that will help the sparrows to have necessary hiding spots. It’s a good idea to place the birdhouse not too far away from thick shrubs in the yard.
Brush piles can wind up working nicely as shelter spots too. If you have shelter spots throughout the yard, then the sparrows will be more likely to see your property as a good spot to stay.
Normally, you might go around picking up brush piles and removing spots that sparrows like. Since you want the sparrows to come by more often, it’ll just be necessary to change your habits.
5 – Ensure That Your Birdhouse is Good for Sparrows
Ensuring that your birdhouse is good for sparrows is going to help you to find success as well. The entrance hole needs to be large enough for the birds to enter.
Most standard-size birdhouses that have a slightly larger entrance hole will be perfectly acceptable. You don’t need to buy a very fancy birdhouse to get sparrows to become interested in it.
Sparrows might even decide to nest in the yard in natural locations. For example, sparrows are very likely to find thickets to be ideal nesting locations.
They’ll also make nests in nearby trees sometimes. If you have many naturally appealing spots, then you might wind up seeing sparrows settle down there.
Birdhouses will certainly be appealing, though, since they’re ready-made houses. If you’re utilizing all of the advice above, then it should become pretty likely that sparrows will choose to occupy the birdhouse that you put up.
6 – Discourage Feral Cats From Stopping by the Yard
Cats are natural predators that will eat birds when they get the chance. There are likely many feral cats in the area that will try to eat the sparrows when they see them.
You should try to discourage feral cats from coming to your yard. There are a few ways that you can do this.
One is to place human hair around the yard. If you clip your own hair or shave your beard semi-regularly, then you can collect the clippings and sprinkle them around the yard.
It’s said that this will do a good job of keeping cats at bay. Another idea is to plant things that cats don’t like.
You could plant pennyroyal, lavender, or rue plants in your yard. The scent of these plants should help to keep feral cats from wanting to hang out in your yard.
Placing coffee grounds on the soil is supposed to be able to make cats want to stay away, too. If you’re a coffee drinker, then you probably have a steady supply of coffee grounds that you could use for this purpose.
Keeping cats away will make the yard feel safer for the sparrows. It’s just another small thing that you can do to help increase the chance that sparrows will come to your birdhouses.
Final Thoughts
Getting sparrows to come to your birdhouses won’t be too tough if you know what you’re doing. The information above will prove to be very useful when you’re trying to make positive changes that will attract sparrows.
You’ll want to alter your yard a bit so that the sparrows can feel safe. If you have enough hiding spots for the sparrows, then they will feel much more at ease.
Ensure that you have brush piles in your yards that the sparrows can use to hide. Thick shrubs will help to give sparrows places where they can feel safe as well.
Placing food sources near the birdhouses will make a lot of sense. You can use birdseed such as black oil sunflower seeds that most sparrows really enjoy.
Natural food sources will also be incredibly useful. Consider planting seed-bearing flowers in the yards that sparrows will enjoy.
You could also plant more berry bushes to attract sparrows. If sparrows have a lot of food to eat in your yard, then they’ll be more likely to settle down in the birdhouses.
Having a water source is an essential element that you can’t forget. Install a ground bird bath and ensure that you have a moving water feature such as a dripper to attract the attention of the sparrows.
Keeping feral cats away from the yard can make a difference too. If you do a good job of providing for the sparrows and making them feel safe, then you’ll be very likely to see lots of them in your yard.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
--
If you want more backyard tips including recipes, how-tos and more, make sure you subscribe to my youtube channel